Fable - Ask The Away Team

[Lucius]

Lucius couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.

He remembered how people had treated him over the last five years. Most had seen him as a simple gutter rat, a piece of trash not to be touched. Peyton had been the first to treat him as a human, the first to try to drag him out.

Was it the same for her when people found out she was a Witch? Magic was something to be feared, something most did not understand. He couldn't imagine being capable of such things.

Lucius gave Peyton a glance, and then sat himself down next to Ana.

"We still want you on the crew is what she means." Not that he trusted her fully, not yet, but he was at least willing to try. "We just don't have the best way of expressin' it."

A shrug rolled over his shoulders. "Pirates."

None of them were exactly emotionally available. At least he wasn't.

 

[Andromeda]

Ana let the silence drag on between the three of them. Peyton, Lucius, her, sat in a neat little line staring at the sea they probably all would have much preferred to be on - or in - at this moment in time.

"I'm not a Witch," for some reason that was painfully important to her. She didn't want to be called as such; it sounded like someone who was going to be hunted down and burnt. What did they even do to Sirens? "I've been able to do this for as long as I can remember, and if it makes you feel any better it usually requires touch for it to work fully," she rubbed at her arms uncomfortably. Of course, all of this might make her more of a target to them. But she was a pirate too and it wasn't like she had nothing on her.

She took a breath.

"But I can probably make them crash their ship if that would work as part of your plan."

 

[Peyton]

Peyton huffed quietly at Lucius' attempt at playing mediator. It was an unusual shift in roles, normally he had been the one being defensive and untrusting.

She watched the woman speak and rub at her arms, she seemed insecure about it, and Peyton bit on her lip gently as she pondered and gave in to her own wave of guilt as she explained.

"No.. I don't want the ship damaged." she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "If you could convince her to leave tomorrow I can be more precise on when we can intercept.. I don't know much about Dreadlords, but if you could help us with that little issue I'd feel a whole lot better about the corsairs issue." she arched a brow, offering a small smile in truce.

 

[Lucius]

Lucius nodded slowly, Peyton was right that they would need more time. He wondered briefly if she had somehow read his mind. He doubted she had such powers but women were...surprising.

Especially tonight apparently.

"I..." He paused for a brief second, glancing at Peyton almost as though he were seeking permission. His eyes lingered for just a second, and then he cleared his throat. "I also need you to convince our own Captain of something."

His plan relied on something he'd been told years ago, something that his father had said. "Anirians stop for vessels in trouble. Especially if there's signs of Piracy. Usually they'll offer assistance, in return for a piece of coming profits."

Or an oath. He glanced between the two women.

"I want to pose our ship as in need of assistance, then when they come aboard..." He trailed again.

 

[Andromeda]

"They're planning to leave at Dawn," Ana said flatly. Her eyes moved to the sky now as if trying to work out what time it was - she had started singing on the sixth bell and she had finished on the ninth so it couldn't be that late an evening as of yet. The night still smelled young. "I'm also not entirely sure how my gifts would work on a Dreadlord - I've never had the misfortune of encountering one," the siren suppressed the shudder than ran down her spine at the mere thought of it.

"Why do you need me to convince your Captain to do something - wasn't this his plan...?" she glanced now towards the two with an eyebrow arched. It seemed her gifts were not so horrific when they worked in their favour. The more she watched them the more she got the impression it wasn't exactly their Captain's plan to steal the ship itself.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton's brows lifted at Lucius' idea, she had been planning on trying to convince their captain on her own, though of course that came with it's risks, perhaps she'd minimise those risks with a talent like that. She bit on her lip and nodded with a small smile at Lucius.. It could work.

"Not exactly.." she told Ana and picked up a rock to pass between her hands. "I gave the Captain the idea of intercepting this particular ship because I knew it'd be carrying something of particular value but also because I want the ship. I planned on waiting until the opportune moment to refuse to take him any further unless he agreed the ship would be ours." she looked to Lucius. "I anticipate him being rather unhappy with it but, there it is." she shrugged.

 

[Lucius]

"We were part of another crew once." Lucius said quietly, looking out at the sea.

He still felt something out there, creeping into his thoughts and whispering. Ignoring it was hard, but his focus needed to be on the conversation.

"One where we trusted each other." His fingers dug through some of the sand. "Didn't have to watch our backs, didn't have to watch for the next knife."

That was true in a gutter like it was on a ship. "We want that again. This ship will be the start of that."

At least that was what it would be for him. A new start.

 

[Andromeda]

Ana watched them both for a moment longer after they had finished speaking before making a noise in the back of her throat and returning her eyes to the horizon. Her emotions were all riled up and she wanted to swim beneath the waves to calm her mind.

"Convincing your Captain won't be a problem - I can do that if you don't want an argument. It's the Dreadlord I'm worried about," she bit down on her bottom lip and worried at it a little. If they wanted the ship in tact it would be harder to be far away from his returning magic. There was also the fact she didn't know what his magic was exactly.

"So... the plan is to appear the ship is in distress, wait for them to pull alongside then launch our own attack - trying to avoid the Dreadlord - and somehow get the entire ship in one piece....?" a soft laugh. "Is the rest of your crew on board or do they need talking to as well?"

 

[Peyton]

Peyton smiled proudly at Lucius’ words. He’d come so far in such a short time, and he needed a fresh start more than any of them. She wanted him to have it.

Her gaze narrowed when Ana outlines the plan and she pursed her lips thoughtfully . When she put it like that it sounded as ridiculously ambitious as it was but she nodded “That’s about right. We’ve been working on gaining favour. We can get the ship going with fifty men minimum we just need them convinced to join us. We may also need to deal with our own crew killing us as well as theirs ...” she cleared her throat.

 

[Lucius]

He nodded at Peyton's words, realizing that this probably didn't look like that good of a prospect to someone from the outside.

"And you can leave the Dreadlord to me." He said calmly.

That was why they couldn't attack the ship ahead. Lucius knew that Dreadlords were no joke, and if they tried attacking the vessel head on they would likely get incinerated before they ever got close. That was also though why he needed Ana.

"That's why we need you, though." He added to Peyton. "Like she said, we need everyone on board to act the part. Best way to make that happen is if you're there."

Then he could do what he did best.

 

[Andromeda]

Ana gave Lucius a look that clearly said she had no confidence whatsoever in him dealing with a Dreadlord.

"Sure, crew are no problem either - though it will be hard to differentiate between those you want controlled with magic and those you don't want controlled..." she had made men willingly give up their lives before, getting them on board with attacking another ship would be a walk in the park in comparison. "'scuse me if it's rude to ask, but how in the hell are you expecting to take on a Dreadlord - alone?" she raised a slender brow.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton frowned "You think I'm going to let you deal with a fuckin' Dreadlord? And how exactly would you expect me to live with that guilt if something happened to you. You don't know what they can do. You're the best fighter I've ever known Lucius but their magic far outweighs any weapons you have." she shook her head. "Absolutely not."

Peyton rubbed at her face as she listened to Ana speak. She was getting a headache.. "We will continue to carry out our plan with as little magic as possible. As we'd intended. I'd be far more comfortable if the Dreadlord was taken care of, we can handle the crew, I can handle the captain. Just because Ana can melt people's minds doesn't mean we need to let her do it all."

 

[Lucius]

"Look." Lucius had thought about this.

He'd only thought about it for about five minutes, but he'd at least thought about it. He'd always been good at this sort of thing, and although most of the time his plans hadn't been followed to a T, things had always worked out alright.

"We can't fight a Dreadlord. Doesn't matter what his abilities are." He knew that the mages of Vel Anir were trained in more than magic. They were fierce warriors even without whatever ability they usually had. "But, they're not invincible. I just have to kill him while he doesn't expect it."

Another reason that he had suggested the ploy. He knew the Dreadlord would come aboard, I'd only to interrogate the Captain. "When they come aboard I'll hide in the hold until you signal me. Then I'll slip out the lower port holes and climb onto the deck behind the Anirians."

He shrugged as he trailed off.

"The only way were gonna kill the bastard is if we take him by surprise." Otherwise they'd all die anyway.

 

[Andromeda]

Ana managed to stop herself from rolling her eyes so hard they disappeared into the back of her head. She didn't say anything however, there was no point in trying to explain it wasn't a melting of minds more of a subtle suggestion that weak willed humans were hard pressed to ignore. It didn't hurt, they just woke up a little confused when it finally wore off. Unless of course she used the moment to do harm say like crash their ship off of a reef or compel them to drown themselves.

"You sound like an idiot," Ana kissed her teeth but she didn't protest it further - she could see his line of thinking and he was correct in saying it was their only real chance. "Maybe you should go speak to your Captain tonight if they plan to leave at dawn," she stretched her legs out lazily.

 

[Lucius]

Lucius clicked his teeth. "Now that's no way to speak to a fellow crew member."

A smile slipped into his lips despite himself.

He knew how stupid this was. Knew that taking an Anirian Galleon even without a Dreadlord would have been difficult enough. Yet he couldn't quite escape the thrill of it. The very idea.

First time back on a ship in years, first time attacking a ship in near five decades and it was an Anirian Galleon?

If they managed to take the thing and it really was stuffed to the brim with gold they would become legends over night. Wasn't that what every pirate wanted? More than gold, more than treasure. To have their name on the tongue of every sailor in a port?

Lucius wanted this.

He wanted it for Peyton, He wanted it for his crew, and he wanted it for the fame.

Quickly the pirate hopped to his feet, grabbing Peyton and practically dragging her up with him before he extended a hand to Ana. "Come on. We can pull this off."

His smirk widened. "Trust me."

Like they would trust her.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton’s gaze narrowed slightly at Ana’s comment but she sighed and bit her tongue. Not that she could blame her for thinking it.

She allowed Lucius to pull her to her feet and she smirked at his enthusiasm, still she couldn’t help but feel too nervous about it to scrap the idea entirely. He seemed sure though, and if he was certain they could make it work then she trusted him.

She hung on to Lucius’ shoulder and looked down at Ana, tilting her head with a small smile and a shrug.. They needed her.

“Come on... Would be nice to have another woman around for a change..” she smirked.

 

[Andromeda]

Ana's peach coloured eyes shifted from Lucius, to Peyton, then down to the outstretched hand. What on Arethil was she doing getting mixed up in this mission? It was almost certainly going to end in disaster but wasn't that part of the fun? After another moment of hesitation she carefully took his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

"It would be nice to have a crew again," she admitted hesitantly. It had been nearly three years since she had sailed properly with her own people. "Alright, even though I am pretty sure this is suicide, I'll help however I can," very slowly she offered them a smile.

 

[Lucius]

Lucius smirked. "The best plans are the ones you're pretty sure you won't survive."

That was the last line the young pirate gave as he and the two women walked off the beach and back into town. They spent a little bit of time collecting some of the supplies he and Peyton had been sent for in the first place, and then they quickly headed back to the longboat they had taken to shore.

Lucius was the one that ended up rowing them back, and within just a few hours of the conversation on the beach the three of them were back on board the ship.

"Still don't think Sol went over the side."​

The young pirate heard as he climbed his way onto the ship, lugging a heavy bag over before he slid himself across the edge.

"Yeah he was too good for that, can't say I'm sorry to see him go tho-Lucius! You grab that salted pork I wanted?"​

Another voice called to him as he reached down over the side of the ship and offered Peyton or Ana a hand. "Course I did, Dav."

Lucius called out with a smirk. Dav was one of the crew members who had already agreed to sign on with them.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton decided to spend the row back to the ship chatting to Ana and reminiscing, an attempt at soothing the tensions from earlier. Though she did rather enjoy having a woman to chat to. She loved her boys dearly but female conversation was refreshing.

She climbed up behind Lucius and paused as she heard the conversation above. Fuck. She looked up at the offered hand and took the last few steps and allowed Lucius to help her onto deck, her eyes glued to him with a look of question..

They were greeted by another few crew members, those she'd known from previous trips, and they obliged when she asked them to take the supplies to the hold.

"What was that about Sol?.." she asked Dav with her best impression of concern.

"Ah! Little Pea. Lucius. Took your time!" Captain Anderson called to them as he stomped down the stairs toward her, arms opened. Peyton smiled softly and allowed the man to pull her into his embrace, and he gripped her chin as he always did, and she hated it as she always did.

"Captain.. We have a new crew member, Ana Barbarossa." she gestured to Ana as Lucius helped her onto deck.

"Ah! Welcome aboard lovely Ana!" he approached the woman, and offered a hand, pretending he was polite. Peyton knew better and she dropped her gaze with a quiet huff. The sooner they were off of this ship with the sleazy bastard the better.

 

[Andromeda]

The trip back did indeed ease the tension and by the time they got back to the ship she was feeling more comfortable with both of them. It was also night to just be around someone who had known her father and crew. Since they had perished in Cerak it had been a sad weight on her shoulders but talking about them with Peyton made them feel closer.

She had changed clothes before they had disembarked for the ship back into breeches, her trusty bucket boots, and her shirt and leather jerkin. She'd kept the hooped earrings and assortment of bracelets, the two delicate necklaces, and series of rings but she had at least donned a sabre - her fathers.

Ana took Lucius' hand when he leaned down to offer her a hand after Peyton and she offered him a brief smile. She'd made sure to put her leather gloves back on for their comfort as well as hers and she dropped her own bag on the deck once her feet were firmly on the deck. It seemed like a pretty average ship and crew, though she caught the air of tension over the conversation they had been having before they arrived.

Her oddly coloured eyes landed on the Captain as he approached, narrowed slightly at Peyton's obvious discomfort, so when he held out his hand she made sure it was a little harder than normal. Her Siren blood afforded her strength slightly higher than the typical human and it was good on the odd occasion.

"Charmed, I'm sure."

 

[Lucius]

Dav shrugged his shoulders.

"Fell over the side, 'parently. No ones seen him for a few days."​

Lucius gave Dav a strange look. "Odd."

Was all the young pirate said as the Captain approached and greeted Ana as warmly as one might...well, the thought was an unsavory one. His eyes rolled, and he set a hand on the hilt of his sword. There was something about the Captain he didn't like.

The man had a habit of leering without being quite lecherous. Even now he could see his gaze slip up and down Ana's form as though he were appraising a piece of meat in a butchers shop. There was no crassness to his words, but Lucius could see something was off.

"Dav." He motioned to the man."Help me with these supplies."

Lucius gave Peyton a look. She knew what to do.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton looked between Lucius and Dav with a frown, as though she'd no idea what could have possibly happened to the big bastard. Of course, this had something to do with Lucius. She wanted to drag him aside and find out exactly what he'd done and when, she'd had no idea. It was a conversation for later.

"Well, Ana will be needing a cabin anyway.. I'm sure he'd want her to be in his bed even in spirit." she pursed her lips with a sage nod. She was glad, of course, the man had done nothing but treat her with disrespect in one form or another, it was good to know she'd no longer have to deal with him.

"Aye, Miss Ana, you're welcome to the cabin o'course, wouldn't 'ave you sleeping' amongst this lot!" he laughed heartily. "Looks like I'll be needin' a new Quartermaster." he slammed a hand on Peyton's shoulder and squeezed. "Since you put in far more work than Sol ever did lass, the position is yours." he told her, pulling her against his chest with that possessive arm of his and she looked up.

"An honour, Captain." she forced a warm smile and nodded. "Then we should get ready to set sail. The Allirian ship leaves at dawn, we'll need a few good hours head start..."

The Captain bowed his head, yelled out his demands to the crew, and the deck was instantly bustling with deckhands getting the ship ready. "Come, lets discuss our plans over a little rum, little pea." .. Quartermaster, and she was still little fucking Pea.

 

[Andromeda]

Ana was quickly realising the why behind Peyton and Lucius' plan to abandon ship and start their own crew. She was also feeling less guilty about the possibility of having to 'melt the captains mind' as Peyton had described it. She caught the lingering glance on her hips and breasts but feigned ignorance when he caught her gaze and laughed at his own joke. She offered him a smile before hoisting her bag back on to her shoulder.

"Mind showing me the way?" Ana glanced to Lucius. She assumed it was best to leave Peyton to work her magic alone.

 

[Lucius]

Lucius helped Dav pull the last crate on board and clapped him on the back with a quick word of thanks.

"Get a cabin to yourself already?" He asked with a smile, feeling just a tad jealous. "Guess I'll have to keep dealing with Peyton's snoring."[/oclor]

A sigh escaped him, but he slowly shook his head and motioned for Ana to follow along. "This way, don't be surprised if the room stinks like…"

Lucius decided not to finish the sentence.

Sol had been a disgusting individual.

 

[Peyton]

Peyton had been in the Captain's cabin for over an hour, going over their course and plan of action. He hadn't been happy to hear about the Corsairs and the Dreadlord being aboard. Peyton should have considered that, she should have done more research before sending them on a suicide mission. She stood her ground and reassured him, it only made the cargo far more valuable.

He was finally convinced, and she left his cabin adjusting her collar. The captain was an impatient man and his temper was quick to flare. A few bruises of imprinted fingers on her neck would need to be hidden from Lucius or they wouldn't have a captain for long. It could've gone worse, she supposed.

She found the pair back on deck and nodded lightly. "Right, we're on track. But I'll wait until the right time to bring up the whole 'we're stealing the ship' thing.." she cleared her throat and smirked dryly. "Where is Finch? I could use a drink and a few tunes." she mused with a sigh.